The NBA is promoting its slate of games on Christmas Day by remixing a classic commercial, Jingle Hoops, from over a decade ago.
It was 2013 when the original version of this ad debuted and it is just as amazing now as it was then. While it featured those terrible t-shirt jerseys that fortunately didn’t last in the NBA, it remains a classic core memory from that era of basketball.
The original ad featured Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Steve Nash shooting to the tune of Jingle Bells before LeBron James dunked. It rocked.
Meanwhile, the new version still features Durant and Curry with appearances by LeBron.
But it also features Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic as the new shooters.
Victor Wembanyama also appears, as do: Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Maxey. We also get an apparance from Nikola Jokic, who is riding a sleigh like a horse chariot.
NBA on ABC’s Mike Breen and ESPN’s Malika Andrews have brief cameos as well.
The animated version of this ad is just as fun as the original in many ways!
HoopsHype examines how some of the NBA’s biggest starts are performing after taking part in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Although the Olympics are viewed as the top international tournament for basketball players and a huge honor to participate in, playing there is still a sacrifice that could have negative consequences, particularly for NBA players coming off of strenuous 82-game seasons plus long playoff runs.
Some of those players’ 2023-24 seasons ended in May or early June, giving them a short turnaround before the Olympic basketball tournament started in late July, ending in August. There were also pre-tournament exhibition games in which those players had to partake. Those same players then had to return to their NBA teams in late September for the start of training camp.
That’s a whole lot of basketball without much rest.
Let’s see how some of the game’s biggest stars are performing after such a tough year of nonstop basketball.
Usually, players drafted in the draft sign their first NBA contracts that same offseason. For most players, and particularly Americans, the NBA is the pinnacle of professional basketball, the place they have always wanted to be. It is also …
Usually, players drafted in the draft sign their first NBA contracts that same offseason. For most players, and particularly Americans, the NBA is the pinnacle of professional basketball, the place they have always wanted to be. It is also indisputably where the most money is, and so the quicker one can prove themselves in it, the quicker one can earn the really big money.
Each year, though, some players do not join the NBA straight away. Some never come at all, with players as far back as 1986 still technically having their draft rights owned by an NBA franchise on account of never signing an NBA deal. Others will join in the future; after all, being selected in an NBA draft is a privilege, a prestige and an invitation to sign, but not a requirement.
From this latter group, there have been some big successes. Be it through a deliberate decision to stay and get more developmental playing time, a business decision for enhanced money and/or playing minutes, by arrangement with the NBA team who drafted them, or some other set of circumstances, several players in each draft class will not join the NBA at their first opportunity. And in some cases, that has paid big dividends for both the player and their team.
There follows a look at the best draft-and-stash players in NBA history.
Nikola Jokic is so frustrated with the lackluster Nuggets right now.
Through just about a fourth of this NBA season, Nikola Jokic has had another remarkable MVP-caliber campaign. The reigning MVP has been absolutely dominant from start to finish, perhaps better than ever. You could not say the same for his middling (and weirdly disjointed) Denver Nuggets, who have lost seven of their last 11 games at the time of this writing.
After the Nuggets fell to the league-worst Washington Wizards on Saturday night — in a game where Jokic put on a masterclass with 56 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists — the big man was clearly tired of everyone else’s lackadaisical efforts.
When asked about what he wants to see from his Denver teammates after the embarrassing Wizards loss, Jokic, in a very Serbian way, suggested that the other Nuggets get pay cuts for not doing their jobs properly. He expanded on that by saying that perhaps a benching or two for underperforming Nuggets players would also have an effective message moving forward.
Hoo boy. It’s not often that Jokic is this direct and openly frustrated.
How can you blame him?
Nikola Jokic on what Nuggets need to see next few games: “A reaction. In my country, where I’m coming from, after this kind of stretch you’re gonna get a paycheck that is a little bit less than you are worth. So maybe that’s what we need to do. Maybe a little motivation that way”
(He was laughing as he started to say that.) Then added, “What’s the name of it? Being benched? Being on the bench, I think that’s really good motivation too.”
What does Nikola Jokić want to see from the Nuggets?
“Reaction”
Smirking, he said: “In my country where I’m from after this kind of stretch you’re going to get a paycheck that is a little bit less than usual. So maybe that’s what we need to do. Maybe a little motivation.” pic.twitter.com/WmCJTFplVf
It’s not hard to see why Jokic would finally be this critical of the other Nuggets. At times this season, it has felt like Jokic has had to defeat other teams by himself, at least production-wise. Denver is literally the NBA’s best team when he’s on the floor on a statistical basis, and it’s the worst team, by far, when he’s off. Jokic is so great that he can elevate the Nuggets to wins by himself sometimes, but that’s not sustainable. He can’t do it every night.
Denver’s problems also all seem to stack on top of each other.
After signing a max contract, Jamal Murray has not pulled his weight. At all. Despite a push to be more versatile, Michael Porter Jr. still kinda looks like a one-dimensional scoring forward. Thanks to general manager Calvin Booth, the Denver bench, for the umpteenth straight year, is a disaster. Part of that blame also lies on head coach Michael Malone, who hasn’t figured out an adequate non-Jokic lineup in a long time, but there’s only so much a coach can do when they only have 7-8 viable every-night rotation players.
What’s even worse is it’s not readily apparent that these Nuggets like playing with each other anymore. They look like a team with internal tension in the organization that is letting that bleed over to the court. Jokic aside, they have been making the same careless mistakes on both ends of the floor for six weeks now.
That is no longer an anomaly. It is a trend. It just might be who these Nuggets are. They look like a team ready for a big change in the form of a shake-up trade or someone getting fired. Or both.
It’s not Jokic’s style to call everyone out like this. In fact, while completely justified, I’d be shocked if he ever even demanded a trade out of Denver. He’d sooner retire after his current contract expires before making a big public scene. Rocking the boat is just not who he is.
So, it speaks volumes that Jokic is now deciding to speak out because he’s breaking character. He’s fed up because he wants to win, and he wants more help doing so. The other Nuggets — players, coaches, and front office included — had better start listening.
Nikola Jokic has an absolutely incredible imagination.
Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets have been dominant over the Los Angeles Lakers in recent years.
With Denver’s 127-102 road win over L.A. on Saturday night, the Nuggets have now won 13 of 14 games over their Southern California rivals and have ended their season in two straight playoffs. The Nuggets’ dominance over the Lakers has been so profound lately that it’s probably time to unveil a proper nickname like “NikoLA” or “Jok Angeles.”
This success is mainly thanks to Jokic’s sheer brilliance, of course, which is why you’re here in the first place.
In the midst of another sublime 34-point, 13-rebound, eight-assist performance, the reigning NBA MVP kinda just started screwing around as the Nuggets toyed with the Lakers in a 70-39 second half for Denver.
With just 0.3 seconds left on the third-quarter clock, Jokic directed promising Nuggets forward Peyton Watson to inbound a generous lob in his direction. Jokic proceeded to one-tap the ball nearly the full length of the court like he was playing water polo, not basketball. And folks, it was actually a lot closer than you’d ever expect it to be. In fact, because of Jokic’s quick one-tap approach, it would’ve beat the buzzer, too!
This is how seriously Jokic takes the Lakers now: he starts doing personal side quests in the middle of blowout wins.
Nonetheless, let’s think about this. How many NBA players would even think of trying something as incredulous as this? Jokic’s outside-the-box thinking and creativity as a professional athlete are things we should really appreciate more.
It’s also worth mentioning that Jokic did make a more reasonable (but still ridiculous) water polo-type shot earlier in the game with three Lakers surrounding him in the paint:
At any given time, roughly a third of the league is on veteran or rookie minimum contracts. By and large, these are young and unproven or older and nearly washed players, balancing on a knife’s edge for their NBA careers. Most second-round picks, …
At any given time, roughly a third of the league is on veteran or rookie minimum contracts. By and large, these are young and unproven or older and nearly washed players, balancing on a knife’s edge for their NBA careers. Most second-round picks, for example, end up signing minimum deals, and few stick in the league for too long. But every once in a while, a minimum player makes you sit up and take notice of their play.
Here are the Top 20 players to play on minimum deals. (For this exercise, we’re focusing on players on minimum contracts for full seasons).
Nikola Jokic is unbelievably more dominant than ever.
I never saw Michael Jordan truly play in his prime. I’ve been watching some measure of NBA basketball for about 20 years, so I’ve been around for just about the entirety of LeBron James’ legendary career. I know the tremendous history presented by guys like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
So it’s critical I get this out in the open, even while I understand some folks might consider the sentiment blasphemous.
For me, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is one of the small handful of most outstanding basketball players that I’ve ever seen. He’s a singular all-time talent. Depending on the day and mood, you might convince me he’s the best I have ever laid two eyes on. Yes, he belongs in that Jordan and James conversation.
There is no other reasonable conclusion after watching Jokic enter Year 10 of his career this season — after already winning a regular-season MVP or NBA Finals MVP in each of the last four years — and somehow being more dominant than ever (seriously) on a Nuggets team some thought would be in frustrating transition.
Rewriting history
Nikola Jokić is 1st player in NBA history to have these stats after 10 games:
In fact, just 10 games into 2024-2025, Jokic is the clear frontrunner for a fourth regular-season MVP. With him averaging a near 30-point triple-double (c’mon) so far while shooting over 50 percent from 3 on high volume (C’MON!), the competition isn’t close. (He’s also tied for sixth in deflections and tied for 10th in steals.) As a result, instead of falling into a spiral of drama and malaise, the 7-3 Nuggets remain top-flight championship contenders.
Look at these numbers. Look at these NBA 2K-level numbers. Really, look at them.
It should be confounding. It shouldn’t make any sense whatsoever. Yet, with Jokic, it somehow all comes together in perfect harmony.
He is truly better than ever. That’s so ridiculous to think about, man.
Jokic’s potent new-look Nuggets offense
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Every nugget (no pun intended) about Jokic’s transcendent 10-game start boggles the mind.
On top of already orchestrating Denver’s offense like a conductor at the helm of a well-tuned machine the way he always does, Jokic is now pushing the pace for one of the fastest teams in the NBA. (Hello, Russell Westbrook Effect.) A year after playing a mostly effective but rigid style of offense with the 26th-ranked pace, Denver is seventh in the NBA in offensive pace at the time of this writing. According to Nuggets staff writer Matt Brooks, they are sixth in the NBA in transition possessions per game and lead the NBA in cuts. This happens while Denver remains an elite top-five half-court offense, per Cleaning the Glass.
Uh … what?
This chameleon-like mix accentuates Jokic’s best gifts: touch and anticipation. On top of already working for a quality shot at all costs in the half-court, Jokic now gets to ignite the sneaky Nuggets’ athletic group in transition for tons of easy baskets with his trademark dynamite passing. Life has never been easier for Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and, of course, Westbrook.
Those summer concerns about poor spacing and 3-point shooting?
All gone by the wayside with a high-octane Jokic-led Denver offense that emphasizes punishing opposing defenses in every possible way while never giving them a break. At this rate, the NBA’s fourth-ranked scoring offense is downright impossible to gameplan for.
The Nuggets’ genuine team mentality
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The wild thing about these Nuggets is that everyone moves off-ball. Everyone runs. Everyone touches the ball. Everyone trusts each other. Essentially, everyone has bought into Jokic’s beautiful game.
The fact that Jamal Murray hasn’t yet been himself while Aaron Gordon recovers from a calf strain only magnifies the tremendous progress Jokic and the other Nuggets have already made.
Jokic himself seems to be reinvigorated by this unfiltered chaos and energy. He’s playing with a simultaneous edge and joy in the sheer drudgery of November games like we haven’t seen in a while. On top of being a do-it-all-superstar who does all the little and big things, you can tell there’s something a bit different about Jokic’s approach to this season when he’s being this vocal while coaching his teammates in the huddle.
Anyone that still says he doesn’t care about the game so much doesn’t know what they’re talking about:
This is what leadership in the huddle looks like. Jokic is extremely vocal with his coaches and teammates. A quiet player is a bad player
Just remember that the above happened in November.
Jokic’s Nuggets aren’t perfect quite yet
Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
While matters seem hunky dory so far, Jokic’s Nuggets still have things to work on.
The young wings have been good, but they have a way to go before they’re ready to contribute quality minutes in a tense playoff atmosphere. Even while brimming with electric playmaking talent, the defense remains a work in progress over finer details like cohesiveness and communication. Denver also definitely needs to find a way to temper Jokic’s minutes (38.1, the highest of his career to date) in a way that preserves him for the postseason while ensuring the Nuggets can still win some games in pursuit of one of the Western Conference’s top seeds. I don’t doubt Jokic could maintain his current monster level of play over an extended season. But Denver is not in the business of wearing him out before the crucible of the playoffs and a hopeful second title run.
His workload will have to come down eventually.
"I don't now how sustainable it is to play Nikola Jokic 40-44 minutes per night." – Malone, who was not wearing a hot dog costume while saying it.
However, these concerns look like they’ll be addressed, albeit gradually, over the next several months.
Because the Nuggets’ process as a marquee title contender looks impeccable right now. They’re doing all the right things against some of the NBA’s best teams and learning valuable lessons about themselves in the process. It’s still early, but they’re on track in every meaningful way.
You can see Denver starting to build toward something special.
A clear statement from the best player in the world
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
All this early-season success is thanks to Jokic, who has unbelievably taken his game to another level in his age-30 season. The gap has never been wider between him and the next-best player in the NBA. And he’s decided to bring everyone on his team along for the ride by leading by example. I suppose I shouldn’t say I’m shocked. When you’re watching one of the greatest athletes to ever palm a bouncy orange ball, all bets are off. Their peerlessness should probably be the expectation, not some dream ceiling you could never fathom.
Welcome to the NBA season where a fiery Nikola Jokic decided to stop giving a solitary inch to everyone outside of his bubble.
We should be excited and terrified at the same time.
To help bring his Denver Nuggets to a sharp 7-3 record, Jokic is averaging an astonishing 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and one block per game while also enjoying an efficient true shooting percentage of 67.1. For perspective, he’s averaging a near-30-point triple-double and sits fourth in the league in scoring while leading the entire NBA in rebounds and assists. If that weren’t enough, the Serbian big man is fourth in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (56.4) on a moderately high volume of four attempts per game. Phew.
For all intents and purposes, after a regular-season MVP or NBA Finals MVP in each of his last four seasons, Jokic has been transcendent through 10 games, even by his already high standards. He is the clear best player in the world — there is no “arguably” — and the gap between him and the No. 2 player (whoever that might be) seems wider than ever.
But if you ask Denver head coach Michael Malone, Jokic’s play so far this season apparently hasn’t been that impressive. After Jokic dropped 37 points, 18 rebounds, and 15 assists on the Dallas Mavericks in a thrilling Sunday night win, Malone said he hoped Jokic would “probably be fifth in MVP voting.”
Wait, what? Oh, Malone was joking, and it’s easy to see why:
Malone on Jokic’s 37-18-15; “what’s Jokic fifth in MVP voting now? So he’s gotta do more for us.” pic.twitter.com/4yh9mMc8RM
Malone will never confirm it himself, but there’s a decent chance he saw an absurd NBA MVP ladder that put the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum over Jokic in this year’s early MVP conversation last week. While those two stars have also been awesome, given how utterly incredible Jokic has been for a Nuggets team that has needed him to play this well just to have a chance to win, lists like that reek of “voter fatigue,” a.k.a. people being tired of Jokic winning the league’s most prestigious individual honor in the regular season. Again.
And it’s not hard to see why Malone likely thinks that that sentiment is ridiculous, as he watches his superstar player put his team on his back every single night:
AD leads the way in the first @KIA MVP Ladder of the season 👀
It’s still so early, and anything can happen in an arduous 82-game season. More importantly, Jokic is also past the point of caring about chasing regular-season MVPs. He and the Nuggets are trying to win championships first and foremost, meaning they will likely have him turn off the jets the closer we get to the postseason so he can conserve his energy for a hopeful (and long) NBA title run. Jokic’s Nuggets have bigger fish to fry these days.
But I’m gonna tell you this right now and remember it well. Davis is having a great season. So is Tatum. So is the Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant. They are still nowhere near the same stratosphere as Jokic right now. It’s not even close. No one impacts or controls a game more, and he somehow took another massive step forward. And if the all-time center actually does average even, say, an impeccably efficient 25-point triple-double throughout the entire season for a contending Nuggets team, he will be taking home a fourth NBA MVP award.
Full stop. Voter fatigue about Jokic be damned.
The esteemed honor would lose a ton of credibility if anyone else got it in that scenario.
Nikola Jokic keeps finding new ways to amaze everyone.
The Denver Nuggets may have lost their first matchup this season with the fellow Western Conference heavyweight Minnesota Timberwolves in a thriller last Friday night, but reigning MVP Nikola Jokic still did enough to spook star Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert during a key late-game sequence.
In the Minnesota locker room, Edwards and Gobert openly chatted about how Jokic knew one of their plays out of a timeout before they got into position. The two Timberwolves franchise players couldn’t believe that Jokic telegraphed precisely what they were planning to do.
While it’s not confirmed that the video below was the sequence, it sure seems like it is based on how Edwards and Gobert watch in clear disbelief as Jokic gives directions and tells the other Nuggets where to stand.
On Monday, as the Nuggets prepared for a home game against the Toronto Raptors, Denver starting shooting guard Christian Braun was asked about Jokic spooking Edwards and Gobert after their conversation went viral. Braun claimed that Jokic really does this kind of thing every game.
For Braun, who is made better by Jokic’s uncanny intelligence and feel for the game, this is just a regular occurrence. That’s absurd, man:
Nikola Jokic knew this Timberwolves inbounds play too.
Jokic even pushed Christian Braun into a better position to guard Anthony Edwards. It caught Minnesota off guard and they had to audible.
At face value, it’s not surprising that a superstar like Jokic probably watches a lot of film and studies opposing teams’ tendencies. That’s a prerequisite task if you’re going to be an exceptional professional athlete. No elite talent goes out there every night and wings it that much.
But this Jokic instance felt a bit different. Basketball is much more of a free-flowing game than other sports, where film study comes in even handier. The Timberwolves hadn’t even entered their set yet. And Jokic knew exactly what they wanted to do before they initiated it anyway, much to the shock of Minnesota’s two best players.
Jokic is in Year 10 of an illustrious career. Somehow, he’s still finding new ways to shock and amaze everyone who watches him play.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you had a happy Halloween and have an amazing weekend ahead of you.
It’s still super early in the NBA season, so it’s probably not the greatest time to overreact to slow starts to all of the teams that aren’t as good as we think they should be at this point. The Denver Nuggets are certainly one of those teams. Denver is 2-2 so far through four games but could easily be 0-4 after eking out two overtime wins against some bad competition early on in the season.
That’s not the part about their season that concerns me most. It honestly doesn’t have anything to do with the play on the court. Rather, I think the front office’s mentality should be raising the Nuggets fans’ eyebrows today.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne is reporting that the Nuggets had a chance to grab Paul George this offseason but passed up on the opportunity. Why? Because grabbing George would’ve required Denver to give up younger players to go along with the salary required.
Here’s Shelburne with more.
“League sources said the Nuggets inquired about Paul George this offseason, but talks never escalated because Denver refused to discuss Braun, Watson or Strawther, and the Clippers weren’t interested in solely taking back future salary — likely the $147 million owed to Porter and Zeke Nnaji.”
Basically, the Nuggets are hesitant to give up on any young pieces, even if it means adding a proven All-Star caliber piece to a championship core.
Here’s the deal. Paul George is, by no means, a sure bet to help the Nuggets win a championship. He was an All-Star last season, but it’s been years since he’s been an All-NBA caliber player. He’ll be 35 years old by the end of this season and his next deal was slated to be very expensive. The Nuggets are wary of the NBA’s second apron, like plenty of other teams around the league are.
But here’s the thing: When you’ve got arguably the best player in the NBA on your side, sometimes you’ve just got to go for it. Sometimes that means going after a player like Paul George. Sometimes it means keeping expensive players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope around. Sometimes it means letting go of younger guys who could turn into something to try and get things done now.
Jokic is 29 years old. He’s in the middle of his prime and coming off of a third MVP season in four years. Getting him the best help possible should be the Nuggets’ biggest priority. That might mean not waiting on Julian Strawther or Payton Watson to pan out.
The Nuggets want to have their cake and eat it, too. It’s the whole “two timeline” approach the Warriors tried, but way worse. At least for Golden State, Jordan Poole had developed into a starter. Jonathan Kuminga was a lottery pick. James Wiseman was oozing with potential.
The Nuggets don’t really have those players. At best, the names on the roster are supplemental pieces who might contribute big this season in bit roles. At worse, they won’t matter at all.
Those are the players Denver is betting on right now. And, after such a slow start to the season, it looks like the risk far outweighs the reward.
Wemby does Wemby things
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Speaking of slow starts to the season, Victor Wembanyama definitely got off to one this year.
That slow start is over after he achieved his second career five-by-five game on Thursday night. He finished the Spurs’ game against Utah with 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks.
He’s the only player in NBA history younger than 22 years old with a five-by-five game, according to Stat Muse. He also joins Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko as the only two players in league history of have more than one five-by-five game, per Pod of Fame’s Jim Miloch.
Victor Wembanyama put up 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks last night for his second career 5X5 game.
Only 14 other players have ever put up a 5X5 game.
He joins Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko as the only players in NBA history to achieve a 5X5… pic.twitter.com/HaKQXbeJGm
